Mosaic façade in Registan Square, Samarkand, Uzbekistan

© da-kuk/Getty Image

Tile tales. Registan Square, Samarkand, Uzbekistan

Gather 'round, explorers, as we tiptoe into the Registan Square in the city of Samarkand, Uzbekistan! Meaning 'sandy place' or 'desert' in Persian, Registan was the centre of activity during the Timurid Empire. The square embodied the essence of the Timurid Renaissance, a period of cultural and intellectual revival, which spread throughout the Muslim world between the 14th and early 16th century CE.

In this grand square, citizens came together to hear royal proclamations, announced with resounding blasts from colossal copper pipes known as dzharchis. The Registan Square is encircled by three Islamic schools, namely the Ulugh Beg Madrasah, the Sher-Dor Madrasah and the Tilya-Kori Madrasah, characterised by the Islamic architectural style, which typically features elaborate repetitive patterns and ornamental forms. The influence of Registan's magnificence is seen everywhere, from the Safavid monuments of Persia to the Mughal buildings of India and Pakistan. The square's architectural impact can also be seen in far-off places, like the early 20th-century Saint Petersburg Mosque in Russia.